Backed by the CFA Franc, Bamako resists ECOWAS sanctions. The Naira dances the Tango on an oil barrel, the Cedi loses its footing against the dollar, the Rand gnawed by inflation, the Egyptian Pound speaks Chinese, the Kenyan Shilling plays on the yoyo, the Ugandan Shilling on a psychological bar, the Shilling Tanzanian helped by farmers. In this weekly column on African currencies, experts from AZA, the largest non-bank foreign currency broker in Africa, with a transaction volume of more than $ 1 billion per year, analyze the evolution of currency fluctuations on the continent.
Mali faces sanctions as its electoral calendar stagnates
The political and economic bloc of West Africa, ECOWAS, imposed travel bans and the freezing of the assets of the leaders of the Malian transition after the observation of the non-maintenance of the presidential and legislative elections in February 2022, as previously promised. The current interim government came to power after the military ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita last August, reassuring ECOWAS it would oversee an 18-month transition leading to democracy. The military coup, weak private investment and the drop in global demand for commodities caused by the COVID-19 pandemic led to a 2% decline in the Malian economy in 2020, after a 5.1% growth a year earlier. As in Sudan and Guinea, continued disruption caused by military takeovers threatens to derail the post-Covid economic recovery. Michael Nderitu, Chief Risk Officer, AZA.
The Naira reinvigorated by rising oil prices
The Naira strengthened against the dollar in the unofficial market this week, rising to 560 from 563.5 at the end of last week, amid rising crude oil prices and squeezing the green ticket request. After the launch of the e-Naira in late October, the central bank said Nigerians have completed 46.3M transactions using digital currency. Foreign exchange reserves fell for a second week in a row, from $ 41.7 billion to $ 41.6 billion seven days later. Given the strength in oil prices and easing demand for dollars, we expect the Naira to remain stable over the coming week.
Ghana focuses on strengthening its export capacities
The Cedi has depreciated against the dollar this week, trading at 6.107 from 6.099 at last week’s close. Ghana’s Trade and Industry Minister Alan Kyerematen said the country needs to increase its export capacity through industrialization in order to create jobs at the same time. In this context, Tullow Ghana took a development step by acquiring the first Ghanaian-flagged seagoing vessel with the aim of increasing the capacity of the offshore oil and gas industry, thereby reducing dependence on imports. We expect a more positive mood in the forex market as pressure on the Cedi is likely to ease in the coming days.
New Rand weakness hinges on inflation data
The Rand depreciated against the dollar, weakening to 15.36 from 15.05 late last week, approaching its low of 15.50 in 2021 seen in early January. Investors are announcing a rate hike in the United States in 2022 to dampen rising inflation, which has helped boost the greenback. South Africa’s electricity problems continue, and planned power cuts are expected to hurt the local economy. The outlook for the Rand will likely depend on the outcome of South Africa’s inflation data next week: if the rate is higher than expected (5.2% forecast) then the currency could come under further pressure. .
Chinese investment to support the Egyptian pound
The Egyptian Pound held up against the dollar again, trading at 15.66 / 15.76, although inflation edged up. The Egyptian central bank said inflation fell from 4.8% in September to 5.2% in October. Meanwhile, the country signed an economic and technical cooperation agreement with China this week, which will include Chinese grants to fund development projects in priority sectors such as health, agriculture, education and infrastructure. We expect capital inflows to maintain support for the Egyptian Pound in the near term.
Kenya Shilling expected to stabilize despite record fall
The Shilling fell to a record low against the dollar this week, trading at
111.70 / 111.90 as business demand for the greenback continues to outstrip supply. Demand for dollars is driven by energy importers due to the
continuously rising fuel costs, and by manufacturers in general. This rise in
demand in dollars comes against a backdrop of slowing tourism inflows and
agricultural exports, which puts increased pressure on the Shilling. Faced with this pressure,
the country’s foreign exchange reserves fell to $ 9.07 billion from $ 9.18 billion the week before, although they remain sufficient to provide 5.54 months of import coverage. Overall, we expect the Shilling to stabilize over the
coming week with the support of still sufficient foreign exchange reserves.
Strengthening of the Ugandan Shilling expected to continue
The Shilling gained further ground against the dollar this week, rising from 3,555 to 3,530 at the end of last week. This is due to the decline in foreign exchange demand and expected inflows from remittances and cross-border investments, including MTN Uganda’s initial public offering, which is open to Kenyan investors and is slated to close this month. this. We expect the Shilling to continue to appreciate at the psychologically important 3,500 level, with the backing of the Bank of Uganda mopping up the excess dollars.
Export request to support the Tanzanian Shilling
The Shilling was flat this week, trading at 2297/2307 as the dollar supply
matched demand, boosted by gold inflows and agricultural exports. The mining sector
of Tanzania is attracting increased interest from foreign investors, multinationals
in South Korea, Dubai, France and India signaling their intention to invest in the sector
during Expo 2020 Dubai. Given the strong export demand, we
expect the Shilling to be stable over the next week. Terry Karanja Treasury Associate, AZA.